


Pieces of Ages Past

by SarahNoel



Category: The Lord of the Rings - All Media Types
Genre: Archiving, F/M, archives, but I'm just worried and wanted to make a wish fulfillment thing, look MAYBE the middle earth records are better kept than the movies seemed to suggest, records
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-02
Updated: 2021-02-02
Packaged: 2021-03-13 01:15:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,705
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29145054
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SarahNoel/pseuds/SarahNoel
Summary: When Hobbiton Archivist Dahlia Bracegirdle learns from her adventurous cousins that other kingdoms don't keep their records as carefully as Hobbits do--well, she wants to step in, that's all.Oneshot for now, possibility of making this into a full adventure in the future (hence the relationship tags).
Relationships: Durin Family & Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 6





	Pieces of Ages Past

"It's just not very  _ Tookish _ of you," Dahlia's relatives always said, "to sit around with a bunch of books and papers."

“I take after the Bracegirdles,” Dahlia would always reply grumpily. Well, it hardly helped that her cousin, Pippin, was always getting into things. Committing  _ actual garden crimes.  _ And then he'd flat-out disappeared with Meriadoc amongst reports of terrible black riders. It began a year of tension, a feeling of unease in the air and whispers of wars among the Big Folk.

Dahlia had to admit she was curious. Before Pippin had disappeared she was content to work in the Hobbiton Archives and Records Repository, neatly foldering and boxing pieces of halfling history that weren't published. She'd spent a little time with her cousin Frodo as well, at first to learn some Elvish, and then to poke around at the wealth of foreign papers that Bilbo had left behind. But Frodo eventually grew tired of her ill-hidden urge to organize the leavings of Bilbo's life, and had politely stopped inviting her over altogether.

And then, of course, she learned that Frodo had disappeared as well as Pippin. Older folks muttered that it was history repeating itself, maybe Bag End was sort of cursed, probably young Frodo would be back just like his uncle and they'd have to undeclare him dead. Best to wait a few years, at least.

Dahlia, along with a few others, had checked Bilbo's will in the Archive. He'd left everything to Frodo this time. But Frodo didn't have a will. Everything would be distributed to various relatives, and Bag End itself would go to a Baggins cousin. As far as Dahlia could tell, no one would be against Bilbo's strange papers being deposited wholesale at the Hobbiton Archive. As sad as she was about Frodo's possible death, she was sort of on the side of the other nosy hobbits in town. Bag End had a wealth inside of it. And she wanted a piece.

But Frodo came back. And so did Pippin, Merry, and that nice gardener Samwise Gamgee. Frodo looked--haunted. It took over a month for him to give in to coming to  _ her  _ house for tea, and the whole time he sat there looking pale and distant. He was missing a finger. She decided not to mention it.

"How have you been settling back in?" She asked, politely sipping her tea. 

Frodo lowered his teacup. "It's… not like I thought it would be," he said into his saucer.

Dahlia blinked at him. "The Shire? Or being home in general?"

"Yes."

Dahlia waited for more explanation. He didn't give any. Perhaps she should have invited someone else over--as a natural introvert herself, another mouth would have helped fill the silences she and Frodo kept falling into.

"You do seem different," she said. He looked at her questioningly. "Older." She felt a little pang of guilt. How could she ever wish that Frodo Baggins wouldn't return? He'd obviously been through a lot, he deserved to rest at home… with all those papers…

She cleared her throat. "I… remember Bilbo saying he collected all those maps and things so he could work on a book of his adventures. Do you think you'll do something like that?"

Frodo looked almost surprised. "Actually, I have been thinking of doing just that. It might make it… Easier to talk about."

Dahlia tried to keep her eyes from flickering to his hand. "You could collaborate with Samwise," she said, "he's such a good poet."

He sat back thoughtfully. "You're right. I should ask Sam." The mention of Sam seemed to brighten him up a little. He glanced at her with a half-smile. "Not going to ask me to donate Bilbo's old papers again?"

She gave an affected sigh. "I suppose you might need them if you're working on your own. Bilbo came into the Hobbiton Archive a few times, you know, to get some history straight. Not that we have much on Big Folk history. The Great Smials over in Tuckborough’s better for that, if you don’t mind a walk."

"I remember," Frodo said thoughtfully, looking off somewhere over her shoulder. "You keep those archives so neat. It's… quite a contrast from the archives at Minas Tirith."

Dahlia choked on a biscuit and had to turn away to cough. "You… you've been to Minas Tirith?!" She rasped. She quickly swallowed some tea and leaned forward.

Frodo looked a little embarrassed. "Well, yes. For the coronation of Gondor's new king, Elessar. You know I've always been interested in history, so I asked to see the archives while I was there. It was a mess. And I doubt they'll get to it, with all the city cleanup they need to do."

A strange desperation was settling in Dahlia's stomach. 

"Minas Tirith is one of the oldest cities in the world," she said, "they've got to have records from the Second Age! Is it really that bad?"

He was starting to look uncomfortable. "Pippin might know a little better," he said, "he spent the most time out of all of us in the White City. Or better yet, Gandalf."

"I'm sure Pippin's a little easier to get ahold of," she said. She could feel the gears in her head turning. Pippin might have some contacts in Minas Tirith. Someone she could send a strongly-worded letter to. Oh, but it could take months to get there! Surely there was  _ someone  _ in Minas Tirith who would look after those records! But then, why was it a mess?

She had a strange itch under her skin. She stood abruptly and looked at Frodo. "I need to go there," she said. "Oh, what am I saying? I've still got plenty of work to do here, what with the Gaffer wanting to donate his mother's papers. Oh…" she started pacing. "And it's ridiculous,  _ nobody  _ could get there on foot, and who would take a hobbit, anyway?"

"It's not ridiculous," Frodo said calmly, "Sam and I walked to Mordor."

" _ What?!"  _ Dahlia gasped.

He cringed. "I wouldn't recommend it. But it's doable, with some help. Especially as you don't need to keep  _ your _ errand a secret." He frowned suddenly. "Rivendell… I wonder if the elves are taking all their records with them?"

"With them where?" She said blankly.

"Many of the elves are leaving Middle Earth." Frodo ran his thumb along the edge of his teacup, speaking more to himself than to Dahlia. "They're… ready to go home." 

Dahlia put her hands on the table. Frodo looked up, startled out of his reverie.

"I can't do this alone," she said. "I need resources. I need people. And I need to speak with Lord Elrond. You know him, right?"

\--

“Yes,” Adelard Took grumbled, “Pippin’s told me all about his adventures. Seemed to think it funny, how many times he could have been killed.”

Dahlia shot a look at Pippin. He’d only gotten as far in his telling as crossing--or attempting to cross--the mountains above the dwarven stronghold of Moria, and Dahlia had already been in Tuckborough for two days. Tuckborough, the great ancestral home of the Tooks, had some notoriety for record-keeping, as the Great Smials where Pippin lived housed a great antiquarian collection. It was as good a place as any to start looking for allies in… whatever this quest was that Dahlia had begun thinking of.

“It’s a bit funny in hindsight,” Pippin said with a forced grin, leaning against a bookcase. “And it’s fun to tell about. I’ll tell her about the scarier bits tonight, Uncle.”

“Captured by Orcs! Let  _ that _ dissuade you, girl!” Adelard grumped, finally pulling out the map he’d been searching for from its over-sized drawer. “You said you spoke to young Master Baggins, yes? He’s still got my bigger copy of the Western Middle Earth map. But this shows the route fairly well.” There was a tallish table in the center of the room that Adelard carried the map to. Pippin and Dahlia helped him pin the edges down with little marble weights. He jabbed the map with a wrinkly finger. “Here we are in Tuckborough, just south of Hobbiton. You’ll go east, cross the Brandywine, and get to Bree. That’s the route Pippin took, anyway.”

“Well, I was visiting Merry at the time, so I didn’t actually leave from here.” Pippin said. “But if you want to go to Rivendell, that’s just the route.”

“Who’s going to Rivendell?” 

Pippin jumped a little. His sister, Pervinca, had entered the room out of his line of sight. She slid a little leatherbound book neatly onto the bookshelf, dark eyebrows raised expectantly. 

“Dahlia’s gotten into her head,” Adelard said crossly, “That the Elves need  _ saving. _ ”

“Not the Elves themselves!” Dahlia cut in. “Their records. Frodo’s told me that they’re leaving--the Elves, I mean--and just leaving priceless books and scrolls and who-knows-what behind to molder in Rivendell, abandoned.”

“You could bring them here,” Pervinca said with a shrug. 

The other three hobbits stared at her in surprise, then at each other. 

“We’ll have to ask Lord Elrond,” Dahlia said.

“And get things ready here,” Adelard agreed.

“When should we go?” Pippin leaned onto the table

“No, the first question is,  _ who’s  _ going,” Dahlia said. “Me, of course, since it’s my idea. And I don’t want to ask you, Pippin, but…”

“No, I want to go,” he said. “I’ve had a good few weeks of rest. Smoked, enjoyed the Autumn. And even though Sam’s proposed to Rosie, their wedding won’t be for another year at least. Besides, Lord Elrond knows me.” He nodded, leaning back in a somewhat self-important manner. “You could say we’re close personal friends.”

The others squinted at him with doubt.

“I’ll stay here, of course,” Adelard said. “We might have to excavate another wing of the Great Smials--Paladin’s been itching to make his mark on this place in some way, I’d bet he’d agree. Pervinca, you know enough about this sort of thing to stay here and help me.”

Pervinca hesitated. Her eyes shifted over the map. “I… want to go.”

Adelard scowled. “You’ll have to ask your parents.”

“I’m older than Pippin!” Pervinca snapped. “And like you said, I know a bit about these things. Dahlia’s going to need some better help than whatever Pippin can do.”

“The thing is,” Dahlia cut in, “we still don’t know quite what Lord Elrond will say. We shouldn’t send too many people over the first time we go, and show up uninvited and expecting to take all their things away. So if it was just us three, maybe that would be a good little party.”

“Or a good little snack for some trolls,” Adelard said darkly.

“Dwarves often cross through Bree,” Pippin said, pointing at the map. “I can ride over there and inquire at the Prancing Pony to see when the next group is expected. They can provide some extra protection for us on the road to Rivendell, assuming they’ll take us.”

“And what about Gandalf?” Dahlia asked. “Could he help?”

Pippin paused as a strange shadow of sadness crossed his face. “He traveled with us as far as the Shire,” he said, “but from all that he said while we were traveling together… I don’t think he intends to remain in Middle Earth. And for now, anyway, he’s with Tom Bombadil, who I’ll admit unnerves me.”

“Oh.” Dahlia frowned at the table. “I guess I’d hoped… well, part of me thought this would be a quest sort of like the ones you and Bilbo went on. And Gandalf seemed like an important part of those quests.”

“But we’re just going to Rivendell and back,” Pervinca pointed out, “that won’t take nearly as long as the other quests.”

Dahlia bit her lip.

“You want to go farther, don’t you?” Adelard said, eyeing her. “Beyond the Misty Mountains?”

“I want to go to Minas Tirith,” Dahlia admitted. “I want to help them with their records--it sounds awful, Uncle, from what Frodo said. Stacks of papers that haven’t been put away even if they have a place, and open candles and mugs left out! They’ve  _ got  _ to have pest problems, and I’m just so worried about those precious records being eaten up and molded over.” 

“The King of Gondor  _ is  _ a close personal friend,” Pippin cut in. Dahlia huffed at him. “I mean it, this time. I’ll send him a letter while we’re in Rivendell.”

“You could send him a book on preservation, too,” Adelard said. “And on paper-pests. And one on organization. The things someone might need to start making sense of their records and keeping them neat and clean.”

“It’s a start,” Dahlia said doubtfully. “Do  _ you  _ have books like that that you’d be willing to send across the world to Gondor?” She paused. “... how would we get a package to them, anyway?”

Pippin groaned. “There’s so much to  _ do. _ Who knew planning a quest would be so hard?”

Dahlia gave him a chagrined smile. “Just inquire after the Dwarves for now. And ask around to see if anyone’s traveling as far as Minas Tirith. In the meantime, we’ll figure things out here. Those books, to start off with.” She shot Adelard a questioning look.

“You’re right--I’m not willing to send my books off to the unknown. But I do know a few good Scriveners who’d need, say, a month at least to copy one book. Depending on the book, of course.”

Dahlia took a deep breath and sighed. “That should be fine. Let’s take a look at what we have. Pippin?”

“It’s still early in the day,” he said. “Merry won’t mind me staying overnight at his place, and then we can go together to Bree.”

Dahlia smiled at them. “Well, then. Let’s begin.”

\--

_ Dear King Elessar, Queen Arwen, my dear Lord Faramir and Lady Eowyn, _

_ You have all been in our thoughts as we’ve settled back into the Shire. The darkness of Mordor reached the outskirts of our land, but no further. The skills we learned by your side on the battlefield helped as we drove those few incursions out. And the tales of great deeds we witnessed will live in our peoples’ memory for many years to come.  _

_ During our brief stay in Minas Tirith, we had the valued opportunity to see your record-room. We Hobbits are no stranger to the importance of records, but were impressed to see that you had some spanning many thousands of years. It reminded Frodo somewhat of the record repositories here in the Shire. As a token of the bond of fellowship and friendship between our peoples, we have sent copies of books used by archivists here to protect, preserve, and organize our Shire records. It would be of great joy to us if they are of use to you, but more than that, we hope it to be proof of our own diligence in safe record-keeping. By your grace and permission, we hope to someday send scriveners to the White City to make fair copies of especially rare manuscripts kept there. _

_ In the meantime, we are taking our interests to the much nearer Rivendell, to inquire after the preservation of records left behind by those Elves that are leaving Middle-Earth. If it is possible to send you further correspondence, we will gladly share Lord Elrond’s thoughts on the further preservation of Elvish records, as our archivists have taken great interest in them. _

_ As for members of the Fellowship here, we continue in good health. Samwise Gamgee is engaged to be married to Miss Rosie Cotton on the 30th of May, 3021, in Hobbiton. They would be overjoyed to have you as guests, given your availability. _

_ Should you have a reply to our letter, we would be most grateful to know how you, our dear friends, continue in health. Please instruct any messenger to deliver a return letter to any Post Office in the Shire, and letters can be safely addressed care of Paladin Took, Great Smials, Tuckborough. _

_ With all our continued love, your friends, _

_ Peregrin Took _

_ Meriadoc Brandybuck _

_ Frodo Baggins _

_ Samwise Gamgee _

_ And _

_ Paladin Took, Thane of the Shire  _

_ Dahlia Bracegirdle, Hobbiton Archivist _

_ Adelard Took, Tuckborough Archivist _

_ Pervinca Took, Tuckborough Archivist Assistant _

**Author's Note:**

> The book and the movies differ a bit with the timeline--most notably that Frodo left Middle Earth not quite three years after being stabbed on Weathertop (stabbed on October 6, 3018 and left on September 29, 3021) rather than the 4 he mentions in the movie. I’ve stuck in an extra year to lengthen Sam’s engagement to Rosie--book-wise they got married in May 30, 3020, but to make it work so that Pippin can go with Dahlia to Rivendell I’m putting it as 3021 instead. I also tried to find a middle ground between the movies and the books concerning the Scourging of the Shire. Hopefully that doesn’t bother anyone too much.  
> IRL I’m an archivist, but the profession of archivists and conservationists has changed quite a lot over the years. Before 1966, a lot of methods of preservation were proprietary (see the Wikipedia article “Conservation and restoration of books, manuscripts, documents and ephemera”). Also nowadays conservationists tend to make gentle, reversible changes to documents and books, whereas in the 19th century the goal was more towards a total restoration. This I knew generally, but it was nice to find Mitchell S. Buck’s “Book Repair and Restoration: A Manual of Practical Suggestions for Bibliophiles” which was published in 1918 but referenced an 1858 French manual on the same subject. I wanted to refer to an earlier time of archiving than the present, hoping to figure out what on earth people did without cardboard boxes. But also not wanting to spend too much time on this pet project, I’ve done my best to think of what I would do in their shoes (or lack thereof).  
> Scriveners, by the way, are basically scribes or copyists. Before the invention of the typewriter they would copy out official documents by hand so that multiple parties could keep them. Middle Earth doesn’t seem to have printing presses, but Hobbits seem to love books--so I can only imagine a book scrivener would be a common profession, as well as bookbinding and papermaking.   
> I found in a few Lord of the Rings wikis that Great Smials, the ancestral home of the Tooks, became a records repository in the Fourth Age, which put my mind at ease somewhat. Tolkien Gateway mentions that records from Gondor could be found there.   
> Anyway, thanks for indulging in a little record-preservation fantasy with me. I don’t know if I’ll really continue this, but I do like to think that Dahlia goes on to many other kingdoms to spread good record-keeping practices so that the people of Middle Earth don’t forget their fascinating past.


End file.
